What did you do with the dice?

Then there is no need for Hydra to take action, Phoenix will take the initiative to play for her.

You like to take me with you, right? Come on, let’s improve our relationship!

----

Sanitta took out a map of Esdi and drew a line on it with magic ink that would automatically fade after a day. "From Esdi to the Aiel Empire, there are only two roads from the border: west and east. We will follow this route and go to the west gate."

Hydra glanced at the map and said, "I'm familiar with this road. Roland took us along this road to the Aiel Empire before. Although the situation in Esdi is different now, this route has remained the same."

Rusalka: "You went there hundreds of years ago. Do you still remember it?"

Hydra: "Of course. No matter what, I will never forget it in my life."

Rusalka quipped, "Oh my god, a lifetime oath is so heavy I can't breathe. I think Sanita's bard performance wasn't as good as yours. Honestly, did you switch careers from band to become a paladin?"

Phoenix didn't like Rusalka's joke, and she actually protected Hydra, so she strangled Rusalka's neck with her tail from behind, and he really couldn't breathe.

When they arrived at the border, Esdi's soldiers saw Rusalka and rushed forward to see the true appearance of this legendary paladin.

Some people also held up quills and knives and looked at Rusalka with expectant eyes.

"Lord Pearl Tear, could you please leave a signature on my armor?"

"I want a scratch on the shield!"

Rusalka never expected that one day she would become a star and have this group of Esdi fans whom she had never met before. She was flattered and naturally agreed to everything.

"No problem, it's a piece of cake. Don't worry, line up and come one by one."

Of course, he was more popular because he was so "approachable". For a while, the soldiers who were idle in the defense fort heard that Rusalka was distributing autographs and giving free guidance here, so they all came to ask him for advice.

But when it came to the Holy Light, Rusalka could only rely on what the God Light had shown her, using what He had said to her: "The key to the Holy Light doesn't depend entirely on faith. This faith and good deeds only serve to connect us to the Holy Light. To unleash its true power, we need diligent use over time. Most importantly, trust in your own hard work."

Some young paladins also asked directly, "You must have worked very hard before. Could you tell me how many hours you train every day? I'd like to set that as my goal."

Others then spoke up to compensate: "Yes, yes, do you have a specific training plan and method?"

Sanita: (Come on, keep bragging. I want to see how you, a guy whose total training time and study time after traveling through time are equal, can come up with something to deceive them.)

Rusalka: (Hey, that's not a problem for me.)

Rusalka thought for a moment and then said, "Generally, my training is divided into two parts: physical training and practical training."

"To be honest, the physical training part was tailored for me by my wife, Phoenix. She took the El Empire's method for training ultimate warriors and doubled it. The specific content varies from person to person, but the essence is easy to understand: it's about pushing your physical strength to the limit, breaking it down and then rebuilding it."

"Once she started training, she went all out, completely oblivious, desperate! She rose and fell hundreds of times, like hundreds of rocks being repeatedly shaken by a strong earthquake, dancing wildly in front of me. Like a torrential rain, she moved rapidly, like a whirlwind, her deck flew freely, like a chaotic frog, she spread out across the entire field."

The soldiers seemed to understand what was said, but they could sense the pressure of training from Rusalka's gesticulating and emotional words, as if they could see with their own eyes Phoenix and Rusalka fighting day and night.

Then someone was curious: "Isn't this already a real battle?"

"Alas, actual combat is different. One will die, the other won't. One requires my full attention, the other just needs to mind his own business."

Everyone understood at once.

Indeed, fighting for life and death is completely different from the feeling of practicing with companions at home. Many warriors are among the best in training matches and knight duels, but when they face orcs on the battlefield, they can't display half of their usual strength. Perhaps this is what Rusalka meant, telling them that actual combat is the only criterion for testing their own achievements.

But in fact, they understood it the other way around. Rusalka certainly felt that "sparring" with Phoenix was more difficult than "fighting". The latter only needed to think "I will chop you to death", but the former couldn't just think "I will butt you to death". All the expressions, movements and details of the moves had to coordinate with Phoenix. How troublesome.

Sometimes I get tired of fiddling with it and really want to activate the Holy Slash.

Holy Slash is still better. It can be triggered in any posture, never complains, works hard, has sufficient output and high efficiency. The most important thing is that it will not whip itself with its tail.

"But wouldn't actual combat be dangerous?"

Rusalka: "No, be confident. As long as you are special enough, you don't need any protection."

I understand that if you want to defeat the enemy, you must first overcome your fear. If you just think about escaping unscathed, the enemy will only seize the opportunity.

So this is what Rusalka meant when she said in her first sentence, "The secret to the strength of the Holy Light lies in believing in yourself." Now it all connects.

Sunita looked at those people with "I understand" expressions on their faces and felt depressed: (I don't really understand what these people have made of your whole dirty joke.)

Rusalka: (As long as it's useful, there are a thousand different Pearl Tear decks in a thousand people's hands. Why stick to just one?)

Since Rusalka mentioned Phoenix, those who had long fought against the El Empire couldn't help but feel curious. "Also, what I want to know most is, is the wife you mentioned, named 'Phoenix', really an orc from the El Empire?"

"Yeah." Rusalka pulled open the curtain of the carriage and let Phoenix get out of the car: "Look, my cat, come and give them a backflip."

Phoenix stared at Rusalka for a long time before reluctantly doing a backflip in public to save his face.

But backflips are not free. If you do backflips during the day, you have to do backflips at night as well.

Putting aside Rusalka's hobby, these Esdi people were still very surprised by Phoenix's performance.

"Oh my god, I've never seen such gentle orcs. How did you manage to remove the violent baptism from them?"

The Baptism of Violence is actually a baptism that the orcs of the El Empire will perform collectively during their coming-of-age ceremony.

Their coming-of-age ceremony does not refer to the day when they reach adulthood at physical age, but the day when they "can use weapons freely and are qualified to become warriors", so the baptism time is very early.

Once this baptism is completed, they will receive a buff, which will greatly increase their combat effectiveness.

But the price is a bit like a weakened version of dragon disease, which will reduce intelligence and make them more succumb to instinct. In this way, the possibility of being adopted by other races is almost cut off - because in the eyes of orcs, other races are also not of their kind, and their instincts will make them choose to fight and reject.

Just like a sparrow, once it is caught, if it finds that there is no hope of escape, it will starve itself to death without hesitation and it is impossible to keep it alive.

In contrast, they generally do not take human captives, but simply throw them into places like arenas.

So this is why orcs have a very bad reputation. How can a country that hardly takes prisoners in war and never negotiates not be the enemy of the world?

But in reality, if a human being can successfully complete the challenge goals set by different local customs from the captured forces, they will keep their promise, let the other party have a full meal, then choose a weapon for him, and finally throw him out of the settlement and let him find a way to return to Esdi on his own.

But this kind of thing only exists once in a hundred times.

The place with the most difficult challenge is the arena in Lionheart City, and that challenge is also called "Champion Declaration".

It is said that not only humans, but any non-Rhine tribe in the El Empire who can successfully challenge will enjoy the same treatment as the direct descendants of the Rhine royal family, and can put forward any conditions that the El Empire or even the God of War can meet.

It is said that no one has ever successfully challenged it since the establishment of the El Empire.

Come to think of it, there is no reason for people from other countries to run to the El Empire, and the most powerful individuals among the Orcs are the Rhine and Fox tribes. They already have that treatment, and are extremely loyal to the God of War, so they don't have any demands they want to make.

Although no one has ever succeeded, there are people who have come back alive after taking the challenge.

The identity of that person was easy to guess—of course it was Theresa, the Great Saint of Esdi.

She went on the challenge with the righteous excuse of "wanting to prevent the El Empire from attacking the border of Esdi", and she came back safely in the end, which can be regarded as the first time in history. She was brave and decisive.

The Esidi people were not that harsh. In their view, Theresa at least did it for the country and the people, so whether it was successful or not was not important at all.

In fact, Theresa failed on purpose. After killing Leo and seizing the power of faith, her goal was achieved, so she would definitely admit defeat while she was ahead. It was also a way to give face to the El Empire and the God of War.

After all, she was someone who could easily break a contract, so of course she didn't believe that the God of War would honestly abide by the rules of the Crown Declaration. What if the El Empire really broke off relations and attacked Esdi? After all, it was still a force under her command, and a mutual loss would not be a good thing for her plan.

However, in Rusalka's view, the crown declaration is another synonym for his favorite thing.

Rusalka: (Hehe, a harem of animal-eared girls.)

Sanita: (What's the matter? The physical training Phoenix gave you wasn't intense enough. You want to get more training, right?)

Rusalka: (Ah, brother, why are you so mean? Your words have made me cyber-sheep tail. Can't you just let me have some fun?)

When faced with the knights' questions about how to "raise" Phoenix, Rusalka's mind flashed back to the time Phoenix stabbed him twice. "It's a case of fighting, no acquaintance. And Phoenix is ​​a bit special. She wasn't baptized as a child."

Sanitieta couldn't help but start to educate this group of legal illiterates: "The Baptism of Rage can actually be erased. It's essentially the bloodline curse of the Fox family. There are three most effective ways to break the curse. One is to kill the caster, but considering the high probability of a joint cast, annihilating the Fox family is unlikely."

"The second method is the quasi-god-level dispel magic (Nine Rings), but I'm the only person I know in the world who can use this spell."

Rushaka curled her lips in a sour tone, "Master Sanita, we don't have time for you to sign for each of them, okay?"

Sanita ignored his good brother's jealous expression and didn't keep them waiting. He said directly, "So there's only one other way."

"what way?"

"Let the caster remove the spell himself. Our great Grand Duke of Pearl Tears will now inherit the will of your Grand Saint Esdi and once again challenge the El Empire's supreme declaration. We must free the orcs from their war frenzy and fight for the weak!"

"Oh my god, really?"

Rusalka was also a little puzzled: (Oh my god, really? How come I have never heard that I have such a lofty ambition?)

Sanita: (I still have to fight. Just find a good excuse and lure some people away. Also, don't make random wishes after the fight. Save them for when I meet the God of War.)

Huh? Am I a tool fish?

One of the young knights immediately took off his hat, bowed to Rusalka and his companions, and said, "This is my lifelong dream. May I follow you?"

Sani Tieta: "Of course, no problem. If you don't have any mandatory garrison requirements, we can just rest here for one night. You can explain your affairs in advance, ask for leave, and leave with us tomorrow morning!"

"That's great!"

"Oh my god, I can actually follow the leader of the Pearl Tear Legion who once led the Star Knights to the El Empire!"

Just like that, a group of ignorant and hot-blooded young people were abducted by Sunny Tower to serve as buff cannon fodder for the [Pearl Tear Twin Stars].

Well, since the final battle hasn't ended for some reason, the buff is indeed still useful.

Sani Tower: It would be a waste if you don’t use it.

In fact, he was just like Theresa, judging others with a petty mindset and not believing that the El Empire would keep its promises.

In case they send troops to encircle him, as long as he has a high-quality army of 100 people from Esdi, they can easily help him break out of the siege.

Looking at those young soldiers who were calling their friends, Sanitta couldn't help but hum with joy: It's great, the Esdi people, I like dealing with people like this.

Rusalka: (Lord Light, Sanita is so evil. I beg you to grant the elves unlimited strength and energy, as well as the desire to kidnap goblins, to punish my good brother.)

Sanita understood Rusalka's implication: (Silly)

Chapter 526 Brutal Film

Relying on Rusalka's fame, Sanitieta successfully recruited a total of 521 border guards, including 111 paladins.

Originally, there weren't that many paladins here, but because of the great ascension before the Demon War, the conversion rate of Esdi's warriors to paladins has increased significantly. Now the ratio of domestic warriors to paladins has increased from 12:1 to 5:1, and the number of people has more than doubled.

"Let's go, let's go to the hometown of cats!"

Vishas also has a kind filter from Phoenix and Hydra for the destination of this journey. Her hometown of the Filin tribe is a place where Phoenix and Hydra are everywhere, and she is very much looking forward to such a cat paradise.

Although Rusalka said here, "This is different from what you think. Phoenix is ​​a giant cat, but the ones in the El Empire are basically keycaps."

But Weishas still wants to believe that there are always more marmots in the world - mainly because her standard for judging whether others are good or not is very simple, and the ones she can touch are marmots.

But even without this factor, she has always liked crowds and bustle. Now seeing so many humans gathered around and setting off on the road together, regardless of whether she knows them or not, she is very happy.

So he actively and proactively stood on the front of the car to take on the important responsibility of being the flag bearer of the army.

I saw Vishas using the fins of her left and right arms to wrap around a flagpole and waving them back and forth vigorously, letting the blue and gold flags unfold and fly in the wind. This gave me the feeling that I was commanding the army forward.

The two elves would also like to do this, but unfortunately the Sanita Tower would not allow them.

Good boy, don't play with flags.

The group rode on a bear cart, and under the guidance of the dual flags of the Pearl Tear Family and the emblem of the Light Church, they lined up in a mighty formation and headed from the border fortress to the northern El Empire.

----

After walking for several long hours, they passed through some scattered small settlements and crossed the fields on both sides. Suddenly, the scene changed. The grass under their feet gradually became sparse and finally disappeared completely, and they came to a barren area where yellow and green met.

There was a dead silence on this piece of yellow earth, and only a towering black stone tablet could be seen in the distance.

There should have been writing on it, but it has been worn away by knife marks.

The young knight beside him reined in his horse and warned:

"Beyond the stone tablet lies the border of Esdi. Further north lies a valley and a desert. Your Excellency, Pearl Tear, be extremely careful of ambushes by the ferocious orcs. They are like a pack of hungry jackals, and regardless of whether the vehicle is carrying goods or not, they will swarm in droves to rob you."

Although there has been no friction between the Esdi border and the El Empire in recent years, most of the surrounding soldiers have heard such rumors. They are checking their weapons and equipment, ready to fight at any time.

Rusalka was very surprised after hearing this: "You mean, they even dared to rob our fully armed knights? Are the orcs so fierce?"

Does the El Empire like to send regular troops to the border to play guest bandits? Putting on a mask after get off work and doing a side job is a yes.

This is a bit unconventional. While scrambling, I found that I was in a good mood today, and it turned directly into a siege?

That doesn't make sense. After leaving the fortress, there is a vast expanse of fertile land and grassland. In the distance, there is a river coming from the northern iceberg area. It passes through the territory of the El Empire in the north and flows into the territory of Esdi.

Since this area is indeed rich in natural resources and at least has no problem being self-sufficient, you can see many villages and farmers and herdsmen along the way.

They all dare to gather outside the Great Wall, and it doesn’t seem like they have to worry about being robbed every day, right?

The young knight was stunned for a moment, looking at the neatly organized troops around him. His tone couldn't hide the pride he felt at possessing such a powerful armed force. "Of course they wouldn't dare, even if they had the courage. These orcs may be formidable fighters, but those around here aren't an army. They're just a bunch of bandits. How could they dare attack our regular army of Esdi?"

Rushakana was confused. It seemed that you were referring to a small group of bandits.

If this group of people were not the Pearl Tears Army, he would have started cursing: Since you don’t think they will pose a threat to us, then what’s the point of your reminder just now? Do you think everyone’s morale is too high, or do you think everyone is not nervous enough?